Visit of Vice President to Brunei (February 01-03, 2016)

January 20, 2016

Hon’ble Vice-President (VP), Shri M. Hamid Ansari will pay an official visit to Brunei Darussalam from 1-3 February 2016 at the invitation of His Royal Highness (HRH) Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei Darussalam. This will be the first high level visit from India since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1984. Hon’ble Vice President will be accompanied by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, four Members of Parliament, senior officials and media.

India and Brunei have always enjoyed close friendly and cordial relations which are marked by mutual respect and understanding on various bilateral and multilateral issues. Both countries are linked by history, culture and traditions spanning a millennium. Exchange of regular visits have added to the momentum of the relations. There is a lot of goodwill and respect for Indian professionals, particularly teachers and doctors in Brunei.

Brunei is an important partner for India in ASEAN and besides contributing to our energy security, hosts a 10,000-strong Indian community

HRH, the Crown Prince will host Hon’ble Vice President during his visit to Brunei. Hon’ble VP will have an audience with His Majesty, the Sultan of Brunei and H.E. the Speaker of the Legislative Council will call on Hon’ble VP. Hon’ble VP will also address the Indian Community at a reception and deliver an address at the University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD).

In his meetings with the Brunei leaders, Hon’ble Vice President will discuss bilateral issues/cooperation pertaining to civil aviation, trade and investment, hydrocarbon and natural gas, information and communication and space cooperation, cooperation in ASEAN, EAS and other multilateral fora.

MOUs in the field of Health and Defence co-operation are likely to be signed during the visit.